Seeking expert opinion on my desktop configuration.

[kabira]

Guys i have gone through a lot of research on thinkdigit and other forums and have come up with my desktop configuration. I am seeking your opinion and views on the same plus a cuple of queries. Hope members would be kind enough to help me.

Usage: for home and office use plus major internet activity especially on trading platforms. Not much gaming though, very occasional. The desktop would be used extensively for long periods and hence i seek a very stable and strong system that can atleast work for a year without any fuss.


Wanted to try out AMD for a change hence selected AMD phenom quad core processors but since there was not much of a price diff in pehnom quad core and hex core's i choose to go with hex cores leaving out bulldozer which still has a divided opinion.


Here is what i have shortlisted: Budget 31-32K- plus minus 1-2k

CooleerMaster Elite 310 Cabinet @1800
Corsiar SMPS 430x @2500
AMD Phenom II 1075t @ 8255 OR AMD Fx4100 @6800
Asus M5A 78L-M LX Plus @ 3700
RAM (4+4): Adata @2400
HDD 500 Gb @4250
Dell Monitor 22" @7500
Kb+Mouse Cordless @1200


My queries are:

1: Is this config ok?

(i mean i intend to use this as a powerful workhorse and very little gaming and that too no plans of overclocking). Thats why didnt choose a graphics card. Considering this, whats the advice for the processor between my choices?)


2: RAM compatibility: There are so many versions of desktop RAM. can you please help me choose the best ram which would be compatible to my mobo and processor. I choose adata because local service for adata in my city is better. What should be the latency of the ram or any other considerations that i need to look at to avoid any problem.


3: My work in lot of trading and imaging/graphics and major internet work. Do you think i can simply use onboard graphic card on the mobo since i dont plan to use it as a gaming rig. Would occasional gaming work fine without a stand alone graphics card?


4: Considering all of the above help me choose between phenom hex core or bulldozer fx4100.

(dont think it would matter too much imo but im still in two minds over fx series).

Thanx in advance

 

[ico]

spend more on the motherboard. Gigabyte 880GM-USB3 should be the minimum. I hope you won't be overclocking Phenom II X6 1075T. Forget about FX-4100, it is crap.

The exact model of the Corsair PSU is, CX430v2.

RAM should be fine. Pick up 1600 Mhz CL9 latency.

But I think Phenom II X6 1075T is overkill for your task. I mean it's only trading, imaging and internet browsing. Albeit for longer peroids.

 

[kabira]

Thank you Ico for your kind reply.

Mobo: prob for Gigabyte mobo prob is support. In my city there is no service center for gigabyte and any RMA would take 10-12 days since it goes to a diff city.

Surprisngly Asus has a better service record in my city.

I selected this Asus M5A 78L-M LX Plus because one it supports 125w processor like 1075t and secondly it was economical since hard drive, psu and cabinet was killing my budget.

Agreed this board has older chipset and no usb 3.0 but then if i go for gigabyte i may have to cut down on hdd to stay withing my budget.


On RAM: thanx for the suggestion but if i stay with this mobo Asus site says the board supports 1333 mhz ram so thats another negative i guess.


On processor: agree with you totally. 1075t is an overkill for me but then price diff between phenom quad core and hex core is not much and plus hex cores have better benchmark (as per cpubenchmark). thats why i choose 1075t. No plans of overclocking though. Any other processor suggestions bro?


Graphics card: since i dont plan to use this as gaming rig and only as my workhorse, would occasional gaming work without a stand alone graphics card? (i can always add one later if required was what i was thinking)



Thanx for all your kind help

 

[coderunknown]

Mobo: prob for Gigabyte mobo prob is support. In my city there is no service center for gigabyte and any RMA would take 10-12 days since it goes to a diff city.

check if there is any Accel Center in your city. they offer RMA for Gigabyte board.

Surprisngly Asus has a better service record in my city.

don't feel that cause one of your friends received a replacement for a faulty board/GPU you too will.

On RAM: thanx for the suggestion but if i stay with this mobo Asus site says the board supports 1333 mhz ram so thats another negative i guess.

get a 4Gb stick for now. add another stick later.

Graphics card: since i dont plan to use this as gaming rig and only as my workhorse, would occasional gaming work without a stand alone graphics card? (i can always add one later if required was what i was thinking)

why not check out the A series APU? they are slightly slower than Quad Phenom IIs but you should be able to build the full PC without crossing your budget.

 

[ico]

Thank you Ico for your kind reply.

Mobo: prob for Gigabyte mobo prob is support. In my city there is no service center for gigabyte and any RMA would take 10-12 days since it goes to a diff city.

Surprisngly Asus has a better service record in my city.

I selected this Asus M5A 78L-M LX Plus because one it supports 125w processor like 1075t and secondly it was economical since hard drive, psu and cabinet was killing my budget.

Agreed this board has older chipset and no usb 3.0 but then if i go for gigabyte i may have to cut down on hdd to stay withing my budget.


On RAM: thanx for the suggestion but if i stay with this mobo Asus site says the board supports 1333 mhz ram so thats another negative i guess.


On processor: agree with you totally. 1075t is an overkill for me but then price diff between phenom quad core and hex core is not much and plus hex cores have better benchmark (as per cpubenchmark). thats why i choose 1075t. No plans of overclocking though. Any other processor suggestions bro?


Graphics card: since i dont plan to use this as gaming rig and only as my workhorse, would occasional gaming work without a stand alone graphics card? (i can always add one later if required was what i was thinking)



Thanx for all your kind help

Actually if you are pairing a Phenom II X6, then you need to spend a bit more on the motherboard which can deliver higher power as X6 is a high-end processor requiring more power. Asus M5A 78L-M LX says that it supports 125w processors, but it is going to be unsafe.

For Phenom II X6, get this Asus alternative. ASUS M5A88-M costing around Rs. 5600. Otherwise stick with Phenom II X4 955 BE and Asus M5A 78L-M LX.

X4 955 BE and X6 1075T both are said to be 125w - but TDP doesn't really tell you the real world power consumption on load. X6's consumption is higher not fit for a low-end board.

Next, have a look at this: AMD A6-3650 - Flipkart: AMD A6-3650 Processor

Quad core processor (which is faster than AMD FX-4100) and built-in Radeon HD 6530D graphics. The integrated graphics actually put most graphic cards costing a bit more than Rs. 3000 to shame.

The CPU is clearly more than fit enough for your tasks and the IGP can also handle more than mild gaming.

A6-3650 will require a FM1 socket motherboard. You can take a look at Asus F1A55-M LE around Rs. 4300.

For RAM, get this Gskill 1600Mhz CL9 - Flipkart: Gskill RipjawsX DDR3 4 GB PC RAM (F3-12800CL9S-4GBXL): RAM

 

[avinandan012]

As you have mentioned a that it will be a workstation , i assume it will run 24x7 . So do NOT cheap out on mobo, because this will be the stressed component in long hours of usage.

 

[kabira]

Guys thank you all for your replies.

@ Sam and Ico, wonderful choice but comparing the price vs cpubenchmark of phenom hex core vs AMD A-6 3650, i would go for phenom i guess and also a AM3+ board is more futuristic buy considering future upgrades as compared to FM1 socket.. let me know if im thinking correctly on this.

So, sticking with Phenon II X6 1075T, what are my strong mobo options?

1: ASUS M5A88-M @ 6k
2: ASUS M5A97 @6776 (flipkart)
3: Gigabyte 880GM (no idea about price)

Which is a better option considering my budget (would have to cut the HDD to compensate the stronger mobo)

@Avinandan: totally agree with you, seeking good mobo options.

 

[thetechfreak]

Stay with the Gigabyte.
Price here-
GIGABYTE GA-880GM-USB3 AM3+ AMD 880G HDMI USB 3.0 Micro ATX AMD Motherboard

 

[sukesh1090]

how about this config,
AMD Phenom II 955BE or 965BE @6300
Gigabyte GA 880GM-USB3 @ 4800
CM CooleerMaster Elite 310 Cabinet @1800
Corsiar SMPS 430x @2500
RAM Gskill 1600 C9 4GB @ 1500(4GB is more than enough for now)
HDD 320 Gb @ 3500
Dell Monitor 22" @7500
logitech MK 200(wired) @700
AMD 5670 @ 4000
total-32600

 

[kabira]

how about this config,
Gigabyte GA 880GM-USB3 @ 4800

i see this at 5600 on ITwares link given by thetechfreak. Is this a diff mobo?

Stay with the Gigabyte.
Price here-
GIGABYTE GA-880GM-USB3 AM3+ AMD 880G HDMI USB 3.0 Micro ATX AMD Motherboard

Thanx man for the pricing link.

As discussed earlier, prob for Gigabyte mobo prob is support. In my city there is no service center for gigabyte and any RMA would take 10-12 days since it goes to a diff city. Surprisngly Asus has a better service record in my city.

Purely in terms of technicalities and working which is better Asus or Gigabyte or is this the same thing like intel vs AMD debate?

Any Asus boards you suggest between ASUS M5A88-M @ 6k or ASUS M5A97 @6776 (flipkart).

 

[sukesh1090]

^^
there is no hard and fast rule that asus or gigabyte is better.both are good at that price range gigabyte 880gm mobo is very good.so get it.don't worry about the service.
and yes both are same mobo.didn't know that its price has increased.

 

[vickybat]

@ kabira

There's no point in thinking about future proof hardware for the kind of usage
you're planning to do with your upcoming system.

We at tdf always recommend balanced configs that exactly cater to a user's needs.
You said you won't be overclocking and your usage can be termed as basic computing.

The combo that ico recommended makes perfect sense and will give you a complete multimedia experience without the need of adding any extra component like a discrete gpu as its onchip gpu is more than enough for your work and will even support gpu
acceleration in a plethora of apps that support this feature.

Talking about future proofing, nothing is future proof and a55 combo is good to go. Amd might makes its upcoming trinity apu's compatible with FM1 socket as well so you never know.

Go with the A6 3650+ a55 mobo combo. Its perfect for you.